“Every major institution in the city of Bethlehem was something in which her family was involved.”

“The city exercised such a profound hold on her mind that in every phase of her career she wrote often quite obsessively in her journals and notebooks about the city of Bethlehem, and much of her most important work comes back to the city in a very, very deep way.”

“She was convinced that the mystery and the paradox posed by the city of Bethlehem could enable her to explain what seemed to be the unfolding catastrophe of the 20th century.”

“Almost the whole of H.D.’s corpus is animated by an intense feminist commitment to the empowerment of women and to women claiming their voices in patriarchal culture which over centuries and millennia had silenced women.”

Key points from Seth’s talk:

Born in Bethlehem 1886, died in Zurich 1961

City Hall built on the site of her family home

Her family part of the Moravian community from the 1740s

Her father and mother were leaders in the contemporary Moravian community

Her uncle was founder of the Bach Choir

Her father first professor of Astronomy at Lehigh

Her uncle at the beginning of what would become Bethlehem Steel

Left Bethlehem just shy of age 11

Moved to Upper Darby

Attends Bryn Mawr briefly

To Europe at age 25, thenceforth an expatriate

Leads an adventurous, bohemian life

Married to poet Richard Aldington

Lived unapologetic bisexual life

Long-time companion, a woman, Bryher

Extraordinarily prolific writer, first published volume 1916

The Gift largely about her childhood in Bethlehem

Love affair and intense relationship with poet Ezra Pound

Was actress, pioneer of film studies

poetry is associated with Imagism

Compressed, highly musical poetry

Learned in Greek and Roman mythology

Interested in mystical tradition

1st woman awarded the medal of American Arts and Letters, 1961

Buried in Nisky Hill, the grave usually covered with shells

Influence on such poets as Adrienne Rich, Denise Levertov

Denied honorary degree at Lehigh in 60s, awarded 2014

Remember: the next event in the year-long series is “H.D.’s Moravian Roots in Bethlehem” by Moravian’s Craig Atwood, February 26, 6:30-8 at the Bethlehem Area Public Library.

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Published by The Bethlehem Gadfly

Edward J. Gallagher, Bethlehem immigrant, retired, nearly 50 years as Professor of American Literature at Lehigh University, known as "Dr. G" and "Conan the Grammarian" to students, whose virtual world avatar "EdwardScholarhands" stares at you here, has reinvented himself as the Bethlehem Gadfly.
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Calendar of Meetings

Town Hall unless noted otherwise:

1/15 7PM City Council
1/24 5:30PM Northside 2027, Thomas Jefferson school, 404 E. North
2/5 7PM City Council
2/19 7PM City Council
3/5 7PM City Council
3/7 7:30AM Mayor, State of the City, ArtsQuest
3/19 7PM City Council
3/26 3:30PM Communication Survey launch
4/10 5:30PM Northside 2027, William Penn School